Gore completely rethinks the traditional chamois

Barry Kraakman

9 November 2018

One of the most important elements of good cycling shorts is the chamois. This part lays between your body and the saddle, and must provide sufficient support so that you can ride carefree out and about. Manufacturer GORE Wear is fully committed to providing the right support, and with the GORE Wear C7 series the company offers something for every kind of cyclist.

Beginning with the most important part

The development of the GORE C7 series started with the chamois design. It is customary to attach this padded fabric onto cycling shorts — but sometimes the design is such that by adopting a different posture you will pull on the fabric of the bibs, causing the chamois to move. The American company GORE, however, tackles the design of the chamois entirely differently; GORE integrated the chamois fully into the centre of the garment.

The core of the bib short – Photo: GORE Wear

This so-called core part of the C7 cycling shorts is made of special Windstopper material. The material is known as a breathable fabric, but also offers protection against (cold) wind: ideal during a fresh Alpine descent, for example.

Photo: GORE Wear

The way the chamois is attached is not the only thing that’s different. By looking closely at the posture of the cyclist, GORE has also gained inspiration for its positioning. For example, cyclists are mostly leaning forward during a race. So the padding is designed to provide thicker support at the front (logically), while at the back it is a lot thinner than you might be used to. Purely because there is little support needed there.

The GORE Wear C7 Race bib – Photo: GORE Wear

The leg warmers consist of stretchable, firm and aerodynamic fabric. To prevent irritation, GORE has reduced the number of seams in the leg warmers to only one. The company is well aware of the pain points of cycling clothing that they need to tackle. Perhaps this is because GORE has acquired a considerable amount of knowledge with Fabian Cancellara as its ambassador – the Swiss ex-pro has many Olympic medals, world titles and various monuments behind his name.

Ambassador Fabian Cancellara in his GORE-outfit – Photo: GORE Wear

GORE Wear C7 series

Fans of this series can shop around with peace of mind. There are three different bibs in the collection. In addition to the race version, there is also a tour version (with more comfortable fabric and a wider chamois). For the athletes in the pain cave or Alps, where the temperature can quickly rise, there is also a special version. This comes in a lightweight fabric, and the leg warmers have small ventilation holes on the sides. Interested? You can order via the GORE Wear website.

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